


when he sees me

by malevon



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: M/M, Set in Episodes 159-160 | Scottish Safehouse Period (The Magnus Archives), short and sweet and sappy, this is just unabashedly soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-26
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24923425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/malevon/pseuds/malevon
Summary: jon sees martin, again.
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 10
Kudos: 112





	when he sees me

Jonathan Sims was wanted for many things: murder was perhaps the most prevalent thing, legally speaking, but he’d also had some pretty bad run-ins with other Avatars that made him quite the catch on other Entities’ hitlists.

He’d done so much bad in the world—why was he so afraid of trespassing on a cow pasture in the middle of nowhere, Scotland?

Martin had already hopped the small wooden fence, an easy feat for someone his height, and he had abandoned trying to cajole Jon to follow suit in favor of beckoning the nearest cow closer. They had spotted them on the way back from the grocer, bags in hand, and when Martin had seen how close the large animals were to the fence, he absolutely insisted on dropping everything (quite literally) and making, frankly,  _ ridiculous _ noises trying to get them to come closer. They had looked at him curiously—or, at least, that’s what Martin said was in their faces, Jon couldn’t really tell and didn’t understand the fascination, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t finding  _ something _ very cute right now—but had otherwise stayed put.

And so, there they were, Jon watching with a stupid grin on his face as Martin continued making noises to get them to come closer. 

He gingerly placed his share of the groceries on the hard-packed dirt, next to Martin’s pile, and walked up to the fence, leaning his arms against the posts and watching as a smaller, reddish,  _ very _ fluffy cow started to plod over to the man seated in the tall grass.

The face that Martin was making when he turned around to see if Jon was watching…

Well. 

If Jon hadn’t already confessed to him, if they hadn’t already had their Talk about their Feelings, if they hadn’t already solidified and confirmed what both of them already felt… well. Jon may have done it right then and there. Something in his chest clenched when he looked at Martin, face absolutely  _ resplendent _ with glee as he tossed his eyes between the approaching cow and Jon, behind him. 

To hell with it. Jon climbed the damn fence. 

He tried to move as slowly as he could, careful not to startle off the thing as it came closer, and he settled next to Martin quietly. Martin, upon realizing that Jon was now next to him, excitedly claps his hand against Jon’s leg, the excitement absolutely and simply bubbling out of him. The thing in Jon’s chest clenched tighter, and moved up into his throat. Despite everything, Jon frowned. 

The only other time he’d felt this strange pain was… was in the Lonely. When they Saw each other, Jon had been filled with a happiness so strong that he was sure it had helped them escape faster had he not been so overjoyed. A happiness so strong that it had  _ hurt _ and  _ burned _ and  _ ached.  _

This was alright, then. He would endure the tightness in his chest if it meant that he was happy. 

Jon did have to admit, though—as the cow got closer, what with its red shaggy coat, its small horns, and the way the hair on the top of its head fell in front of its eyes—he did have to agree with Martin: it was quite cute. 

Martin was just about boiling over at this point. Jon could nearly See his excitement rolling off of him in waves, crashing over his shoulders and bathing him in a warmth that rivaled the late afternoon sun. The cow sniffed his outstretched hands and began to lick them, earning surprised and endeared laughter from Martin, and wasn’t that just it?

Jon thought, then, a million miles’ worth of thoughts occurring in just a moment. He thought about how he didn’t think he’d ever heard Martin genuinely laugh. He’d heard his nervous, half-laughter, he’d heard the fake laughter he’d granted Tim when the other man offered him a plainly abhorrent joke, and  _ god _ , the closest thing to real laughter from Martin he thought he’d ever heard was… when they Saw each other. That relieved chuckle, the feeling of a weight being taken off of his undeserving shoulders. Not this. Never this.

And wasn’t that just it?

Jon sobbed. 

Martin stopped immediately, not even bothering to wipe his hands on his trousers before taking Jon’s in his own. He asked him questions, questions that went in one ear and out the other, drowned out by Jon’s racing mind— _ I love him so much, why is this happening to me, why is this happening to me I don’t deserve this, he deserves so much better and all I’m doing is crying in a cow pasture but  _ God _ I am so happy right now, so happy I think I could just burst and—  _

“ _ Jon, _ love,” Martin placed his hands on either side of Jon’s face, and Jon is unsure if the wetness there is from cow spit or the hot tears that seem to have made their homes on his cheeks. 

_ Cow spit.  _ The sheer ridiculousness of it, the gravity of the situation—but that’s just it, there was  _ no _ gravity, there was  _ nothing _ of consequence there but wasn’t there?—made Jon sob again. He felt so light and so heavy. 

“Jon,” Martin tried again, thumbing at the tear tracks and brushing some of the flyaway hairs behind Jon’s ear. “Jon,  _ please _ , what’s wrong? Please tell me, did I do something?”

He could only fervently and emphatically shake his head  _ no _ . 

“Do you need to go back to the house?”

_ The house.  _ The domesticity of it all. The way they’d gone to the grocery store not forty-five minutes ago. Bickered playfully about what type of pancake mix was better, what pasta shape was the best for holding sauce, Jon using his Knowing to try and objectify an opinionated question to gain the upper hand but Martin never backing down. The way they’d held hands on the walk back despite both of them carrying handfuls of grocery bags. It was all  _ so much,  _ and it was so much that he scarred, broken, less-than-whole body could take, but Martin wrapped his arms around his much smaller frame and oh, if that didn’t make him feel  _ whole _ , despite everything. 

“Jon?”

“ _ I love you, _ ” he gasped into the crook of Martin’s neck, wrapping his arms around his shoulders. “I see you, Martin, I  _ love _ you.” 

Martin tensed at that, but just as quickly, melted back into Jon’s hold, rubbing a hand through his hair, and Jon could feel his fingers snagging on knots, the sudden yanks grounding him. He laughed again, a warm sound that Jon could feel tucked against Martin’s chest, the deep billows of his lungs puffing into Jon’s shoulders, warm, warm, warm. 

“I love you too, Jon.” 

**Author's Note:**

> this is directly inspired by the lovely lovely animatic by 3sides1eye on youtube which you can watch here!! 
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOR-24FcKJE&lc=UgxZaXe9h7Eqa3XasAJ4AaABAg.9ALmboqAk839ALoRdIX-dU
> 
> the last scene got me good and i wanted to write it oop. i got a little tipsy and then three hours later this existed. hope you enjoyed!!!


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